Gravel pump



Patented May 5, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GRAVEL PUMP llvor '0.'Wallberg, San LuisObispo, Calif.

Application April 20, 1939, Serial No. 269,037

6 Claims.

This invention relates to gravel pumps and has for an object to providea pump having runners provided with extensions or tips offlexiblezmaterial whereby the tips, upon encountering rock particles,will flex and pass over the particles thus preventing excessive wear orbreakage.

Afurther object is to provide a device of this character which will beformed on the few strong, simple, and durable parts, which will beinexpensive to manufactureand which will not easily get out of order.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists ofcertain novel details ofcon- 'struction and combinations of partshereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood thatvarious modifications may be resorted to within the scope of theappended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any ofthe advantages of the invention.

In the accompanyingdrawing forming part of .this specification,

Figure 1 is a plan view of a gravel pump constructed in accordance withthe invention, with portions broken away.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the pump shown in Figure 1 with portionsin section.

Figure 3 is a detail sectional View showing the metal runners and rubbertips thereof.

Referring now to the drawing in which like characters of referencedesignate similar parts in the various views, there is disclosed acircular cylindrical outer wall 8 which with a planar bottom wall 9 isincluded in a circular cup-shaped housing ID. The housing has a centralinlet opening II in the bottom wall 9 and an outlet opening I 2 in theside or outer wall 8. The inlet opening communicates with a water andgravel inlet pipe l3 and the outlet opening communicates with adischarge pipe M which is inclined in the direction of rotation of thehereinafter described rotor to facilitate free discharge of water andgravel. Adjacent the pipe I4 is the only part of the wall 8 which is notcircular cylindrical. The housing is closed by a generally planar coverplate or top wall l5 which is secured in place by bolts IS.

The cover plate I5 is provided with a central shaft bearing l1, and asecond shaft bearing I8 is spaced above the bearing I! and supported bydiagonally extending arms H) which are fastened by bolts 20 to the coverplate.

Mounted within the housing is a rotor or runner comprising a pair ofaxially spaced, planar, metal discs 20 and 2|, which extendsubstantially to the inside of the outer wall 8 to form shrouds disposedadjacent the wall 9 and the wall [-5 respectively. A plurality ofarcuate radially extending arms forming impellers 22 are secured to ahub '23 which is made fast to an axially disposed drive shaft 24 whichextends through the bearings l1 and 18 into the housing 18.

The impellers are integral with the hub 23 and with the metal shrouddiscs 20 and 2|. The impellers 22 terminate short of the edges of thediscs2fl and 2| and are provided with extensions, vanes or tips .24 offlexible material such as rubber, whereby the tips, upon encounteringro'ck particles, will flex and pass over thesame, thus preventingexcessive wear or breakage. The tips or rubber vanes 24 are secured tothe impellers 22 by means of bolts 25 at the radially inner ends of thevanes, so as to be readily replaceable when worn or broken, but areotherwise 'free and ordinarily extend axially to the shroud discs 20'and 2| and radially to the wall 8.

"Each impeller and its flexible extension form one continuous blade,the'irnpeller and the extension forming each about one-half of thelinear or radial length of the blade to permit the blade yielding forabout one-half its length to prevent breakage upon encountering rockparticles.

The inner ends 25' of the impellers 22 terminate short of the inletopening I4 in the housing and short of a similar, adjacent opening 3| inthe disc 2|, and the hub 23 is relatively short, so that water andgravel may pass without obstruction to the spaces between the impellersduring the rotation of the rotor and be freely discharged through theoutlet pipe 14.

A plurality of openings 26 are formed in the bottom wall of the housingand may receive respective water pipes 21 through the medium of whichadditional water may be drawn into the pump housing to make the massmore liquid.

The inner wall of the pump housing I 0 is lined with rubber 28. Thecover plate and bottom wall of the housing are respectively lined withrubber 29 and 30.

What is claimed is:

1. A gravel pump comprising a housing including a circular cylindricalouter wall having an outlet opening and including a pair of planar sidewalls one of which has a central inlet opening, a shaft extendingaxially into said housing, a runner disposed within said housing andfast on said shaft, said runner including a pair of axially spacedplanar shroud discs disposed adjacent said side walls and extendingsubstantially to said outer wall, one of said shroud discs having anopening therein adjacent said inlet opening, a

radial impeller extending from one to the other of said shroud discs butterminating radially short of said outer wall by an amount about equalto the axial space between said discs, a bendable rubber vane extendingaxially from one of said shroud discs to the other and radially fromsaid impeller to said outer wall, and means for fastening the radiallyinner end of said vane to said impeller leaving the remaining portion ofsaid vane free.

2. A gravel pump comprising a housing including an outer wall having anoutlet opening and including a pair of side walls one of which has acentral inlet opening, a shaft extending axially into said housing, arunner disposed within said housing and fast on said shaft, said runnerincluding a pair of axially spaced planar shroud discs disposed adjacentsaid side walls and extending substantially to said outer wall, one ofsaid shroud discs having an opening therein adjacent said inlet opening,a radial impeller extending from one to the other of said shroud discs,a yieldable rubber vane extending radially from said impeller to saidouter Wall, and means for fastening the radially inner end of said vaneto said impeller leaving the remaining portion of said vane free.

3. A gravel pump comprising a housing having an outlet opening and aninlet opening, a shaft extending axially into said housing, a runnerdisposed within said housing and fast on said shaft, said runnerincluding a pair of axially spaced planar shroud discs, one of saidshroud discs having an opening therein adjacent said inlet opening, aradial impeller extending from one to the other of said shroud discs butterminating radially short of the edge of said discs, a bendable rubbervane extending axially from one of said shroud discs to the other andradially from said impeller to the edge of said discs, and means forfastening the radially inner portion of said vane to said impellerleaving the remaining portion of said vane free.

4. A gravel pump runner for mounting upon a shaft comprising a pair ofaxially spaced shroud discs, one of said discs having an openingtherein, a radial impeller extending from one to the other of saidshroud discs but terminating radially short of the edge of said discs, abendable vane normally extending axially from one of said shroud discsto the other and radially from said impeller to the edge of said discs,and means for fastening the radially inner portion of said vane to saidimpeller leaving the remaining portion of said vane free to bendradially inward and to twist away from said shroud discs to passobstructions.

5. A gravel pump comprising a housing including an outer wall which iscircular except for a non-tangential outlet opening and including sidewalls one of which has a central inlet opening, a shaft extendingaxially into said housing, a runner disposed within said housing andfast on said shaft, said runner including a pair of axially spacedshroud members disposed adjacent said side walls and having their edgessubstantially at said outer wall, one of said shroud members having anopening therein adjacent said inlet opening, a bendable vane extendingaxially from one of said shroud members to the other and radially tosaid outer wall, and means for fastening the radially inner end of saidvane for rotation with said runner leaving the remaining portion of saidvane free to bend away from said outer wall and away from said shroudmembers.

6. A gravel pump runner for mounting upon a rotary shaft comprising apair of axially spaced shroud discs, means for uniting said shroud discsfor rotation in unison with said shaft, a rubber vane disposed betweensaid shroud discs, and means for mounting the radially inner portion ofsaid vane for rotation in unison With said shaft leaving the remainingportions of said vane free.

IVOR O. WALLBERG.

